I am working on a database in Access to record process conditions and laboratory analysis on different types of samples. The main query of interest contains for each sample all the results of the analysis.
The built-in filtering functions Access offers by clicking on the little arrow on the columns of the table work great and are very user-intuitive. However, the database is growing pretty fast and it is starting to take quite a long time to load the results of the query. Therefore I would like to filter the data BEFORE loading all the results.
Is there a way to do this in a way that is as user friendly and intuitive as the post-load filter option? I have tried to create a form to do the filtering, but I can't figure out how to allow the user to choose multiple values from a combo-box. All the specific options like "begins with" "contains" etc. or "bigger than" "between" are useful, but not strictly necessary.
Thanks for any help.